The Pokemon Curse
by Riolu16
Summary: A boy gets turned into a Riolu through trickery and manipulation. Is turning back into a human his best option though?


Chapter One: The Curse

"UGH!" I groaned as I got punched in the gut by the school bully, Charles. He pushed me to the ground and spit on my forehead. "Talk to my girl again... Your ass," he looked back at the group surrounding us, "will be mine." He kicked me in the back and walked away. When he was out of sight, Melina and Drake helped me up. "You okay man?" I stood up weakly, and grabbed the back of my head. "Do you wanna know the honest answer?" I grumbled. "Look we're just trying to help," said Drake. "**HELP?!** You call that help!? I was getting my ass handed to me back there and what did you do!? NOTHING! Abso-freaking-lutley... NOTHING!" I pushed their hands away. "Just go. I don't give a damn anymore." "But-" "JUST... go." Melina sighed. They then walked away. I picked up my backpack and left the school. Then, the crossing guard noticed me leaving. "Hey! Where are you going?" Ms. Sanchez asked. "Home," I replied in a nasty tone. "Do you have permission?" "Don't need it, I'm droppin out of school." "You still need permi-" "Just leave me the hell alone!" I yelled at her. I started to run home. Running past all of the people and their Pokemon walking. After running for about 5 minutes, I was stopped, by someone I thought I'd never see in my entire life. "Young man! Can you help me?" the old lady asked. That, was Mrs. Kantino. The creepiest lady in the county. Everyone tries to avoid her, mostly due to her nasty attitude. "Me?" I croaked. "Yes you! Come here!" she ordered. "I'm s-sorry, I uhh... I can't, I've got somewhere to b-" "Liar! Now will you please come here and help me!?" I stared at her nervously. She was sitting down on her rocking chair, wearing a grey floral dress. I took my first step onto her driveway. "Come on son! I haven't got all day!" I took a deep breath and walked across her driveway. It seemed as if the closer I got, the louder my footsteps were. I reached her front porch and took a step onto it. At that time, I was about 5 feet away from her, probably the closest anyone in this world has gotten. "Okay, what did you need help with?" I staggered. "I'm sorry to take you away from your walk, but could you please help me up? I'm just becoming a frail old woman. I would be very grateful if you helped me." I crouched down next to her and said, "Put your arm around my neck." She did as I told her, then I stood up and she was up on her feet. "Thank you so much Damian!" _WHAT!? How did she know my name!?_  
"I know everyones name in this town boy!" "Umm... Y-you j-j-just... read my mind. H-how did you-" "That doesn't matter child. But there is another thing I need help with." _This is some scary crap man! I should just go!_ "NO! I still need help!" I stared blankly at her. "What is it!?" "I need help with you." "What? Me? What about me?" "You're having some troubles of your own aren't you?" "Yeah, but it's none of your-" "Oh don't be like that Damian. Just hear me out. I can help you. That boy, Charles, is very mean to you. I could make you better than him." "How?" "Follow me inside and I'll show you," she said with a grin. We entered her house. She directed me to a round table and handed me a paper that read:

I _ hereby give permission to _ to give me the ability to defeat my enemies.  
_Kind of a cheesy contract_ "Hmm..." I took the pen from the table and signed it. She then took the pen and signed it herself. She bursted a hearty laugh and said, "Good luck!"  
Blackout.

Chapter2: The Tranformation

"Ohh... man... W-where am I?" I asked, hoping for an answer. I stood up looked around. "How'd I get here?" I asked in woe. I was in a dark forest. Not a sound was in it. I looked down at my... "PAWS?!" I screamed. "Paws, I have p-paws!" I stuttered. Blue paws for hands and black paws for feet. On each of my arms was one round stone. "What the hell is going on!?" I screamed. "You signed it." the old womans voice appeared in my head. "What?" "You signed the contract!" "What did you do to me!?" "Oh, it's not what I've done to you, it's what you've done to you." "Change me back now!" "I can't do that. You see, you signed a paper giving me permission to give you power over your enemies." "Yeah! But I didn't tell you to turn me into a Pokemon!" "You should've been more specific. I want to make a deal with you Damian. There are certain... stones, that I need. Get them for me and I just might change you back into a human." "Where exactly are these stones?" "They are in multiple places. One is in Darkrai's tomb. The other is in the forest of Giratina. And the final one, well... I don't know where it is." "WHAT?! You CRAZY! OLD! EVIL-" "Watch it boy. Unless you want to stay this way forever." I kept my mouth shut. "Find Lucario. You must go to him and request training. Once he believes you are trained well enough, you must go the places for the stones and take them to Milotic Bay. If you try to tell anyone about your transformation, you will remain like that for the rest of your life, understand?" I nodded. "Then what do I tell people if I'm looking for Lucario." "Tell them you are lost, and that you need to find Lucario. Lucario is not your father, say that your parents died after you were born. You're just a young Riolu looking for a father figure, got it?" "Yes." "Good. Find those stones now." Suddenly, the forest went from dark, to really bright and sunny. I could hear people talking nearby, but I couldn't see anyone at all. I walked further down the path to see numerous Pokemon passing by me. "Hey you!" someone said from behind me. I swiftly turned around. Behind me was a Zorua. "Me?" I asked stupidly. "Yes you! Can you help me?" My jaw dropped. _He just talked! That Zorua just talked to me!_ I swallowed hard, then said, "Umm... sure. What is it?" I asked nervously.  
"Those berries up there... yeah, they're my favorite kind of berry! Y'think you can get some for me?" "Uhh... Maybe..." "PLEASE?" I chuckled, "Alright, I'll do it." "YAY! Thank you sooooooo much!" I looked up at the tree. _How the heck am I supposed to get up there?_ I scratched my head. "Try punching it!" he suggested. I shrugged my shoulders, "It's worth a shot." I pulled my arm back and punched the tree really hard. My paw left a huge crack in it. Berries began to fall from the sky. "HEY! Whaddya think you're doing?!" someone up high yelled. A Swellow flew down to the ground. "Why're you punching my tree!?" he yelled. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't know-" "You didn't think someone could've been living in this tree? Are you so irresponsible, that you can't even call up the tree? Where are your parents?" I looked down sadly. "I don't... have any parents." I croaked. "Lucario's alive still. Isn't he your father?" "No, he's not my real dad. I'm looking for him right now though. Do you know where he is?" I asked with high hopes. "Umm... No. But I think I might know someone who does know." "My mom knows where he's at!" added Zorua. "Well there you have it. Go with your friend and find Lucario." "Thank you." "Oh! And uhh... sorry for yelling at you. You didn't know any better." "It's okay. I understand." "C'mon! Help me pick up these berries so we can go to my home!" Zorua said enthusiastically. I laughed and helped pick up some berries. Zorua then led me to his residency. He lived in a small tent made of leaves. Inside was a Zoroark. "Hi mom!" "Hi Zorua, who's your friend?" the female Zoroark asked. "This is Riolu! He needs help finding Lucario." "Lucario? I didn't know Lucario had a son." "He... didn't actually. My parents are... well... dead." I moaned. "Oh my Arceus! I'm so sorry!" "No-No! It's not your fault. I just, I need to find him. He's the only Lucario alive and I need him to train me." "Train you? For what?" "Umm..." The old womans words echoed in my head. "Just, to train me so I can defend myself in the real world. And, I kinda need a father figure like him." "I don't know if he'll even- Umm..." I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say. "I can get someone I know to take you to him." I smiled widely. "Really?!" She grinned as well. "Yes, but there's a possibility that she'll say no." "Well, it's something, let's go!"

Chapter 3: Transportation

"Hello! Staraptor! It's me, Zoroark!" A black and white bird flew down to the ground. "Zoroark? What brings you here old friend?" "I have a-well- he... has a problem." Staraptor looks at me. "Hey! You're Lucario's son! What're you doing all the way out here?" "Well... actually..." Zoroark leaned in and whispered something to Staraptor. "Oh okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know." "Can you take him to him?" "It's a really long flight Zoroark. I don't know if I could handle such a-" "Please? I really need Lucario. I have no one else that can train me. I need to be with him," I begged. Staraptor sighed deeply. "Ohh... Alright! I'll do it. But only because you said please." A 5 mile grin went across my face. "Thank you soooooooo much!" I said with a ton of giddy in my voice. Staraptor looked serious all of a sudden. "There's just one small problem. I hear that Lucario travels alot. It's possible we won't find him immediately at the first place we get to," added Staraptor. "We'll need to search hard then." "And if you can't find him, you're more than welcome to stay with us," said Zoroark. I smiled, "Thank you. All 3 of you," I said gratefully. "Thanks for helping me with those berries." "Thanks for helping me find Lucario," I replied to Zorua. "Okay kid, hop on my back, put your arms around my neck, but please do not choke me," ordered Staraptor. I did as she told me. "Bye Riolu! Good luck finding Lucario!" yelled Zorua as we lifted off into the air. "Thank you! I'll try to visit sometime if find him!" "That'll be nice! Good bye!" "Bye!" And with that, we were off.  
******************POV: Lucario*********************  
Lucario was meditating in the grassy plains of Lark until he heard a sudden noise. He used his aura vision to capture everything around him. He looked all around and saw nothing. He calmed down and began meditating again. The noise came back 5 seconds later. It was a gentle noise, most likely a footstep in the grass. Now he was on full alert. He stood up, somewhat annoyed by the sound. It was getting louder and louder. _What is that!?_ Lucario thought he was going insane, until finally, he was tackled by a Gengar. "Hello Lucario," Gengar said ominously. Lucario shot an aura sphere at Gengar to push him off(due to the fact that hand to hand combat doesn't work against ghost types). "What do you want Gengar?" Lucario asked. "What do I want? Do I just have to want something to talk to my old friend Lucario?" Lucario glared at him. "If you don't want anything, leave." "It's not what I want, but what you want." "Stop speaking riddles Gengar unless you wanna end up like the last members of the One Ghost Three gang that tried to screw with me." "Woah! Woah! I was just going to tell you that you have a son." Lucario was really confused. "A son?" "Yes, a little Riolu. He's coming to see you right now." Lucario could read in the ghosts aura that he wasn't lying. "There's no way in hell that's true. It must be someone elses Riolu." "How could that be so? After all... you are the only Lucario." "Ever hear of the thing that can cause a Pokemon to be born not being either of it's parents' first evolved forms?" "Yeah, but that's a one in a million chance." "Then, that's what happened." "You honestly don't believe that you have a son?" "No. Never have, never will. Tell him I said that too if you find him." Gengar smiled. "Okay, I will." "Now go!" Lucario ordered. Gengar fleed the scene. _A Riolu hunh? He's not my problem._

Chapter 4: The Gang Dilemma

Staraptor and I have been flying a little over an hour now and it's been amazing. The view of everything was just breathtaking. It felt like a canopy walk, only you were much higher, and well... you're flying! I was chatting her ears off about how amazing it was. "So... how far is it until we reach Lucario?" I asked. "It depends on where he is. The first place we're looking for is about 3 days away." "3 days? Like, nonstop days or-" "8 hours a day." "Oh okay." We continued to fly until suddenly, we were almost hit by a ball of fire. Staraptor spinned gracefully to the left, dodging the attack. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" I croaked. "Staraptor!" In front of us were a Pigeot, a Fearow, and a Charizard. "What have I told you about flying in our territory?" asked Pigeot "We're just passing through Pigeot," replied Staraptor. "I'm afraid you can't do that Starry. Gang policy," said Pigeot. "Hey boss, it's a Riolu," said Charizard. "A Riolu? What's Lucario's boy doin' all the way down here?" "It's a long story. Now can you please just let us through?" "Sorry Star, no can do. You'll just have t'go around." "Go around!? Are you kidding me!? That will take us another day!" groaned Staraptor. "That's stupid!" I yelled. "It's policy kid. Now go around before y'get hurt." Staraptor nodded. "Okay, we're going around," said Staraptor calmly. _WHAT?!_ She turned around and flew away from their territory. When we were a minute away from them, I said, "You're just gonna let them push you around like that?!" "Riolu, you have to understand that I couldn't beat them." "You could've at least outran them!" "Listen to me! There was no getting through them. End of story! Now leave it alone!" I let a small 'hmph'. We were silent for the next 6 hours. When duwn struck, we landed on a dirt path. "We'll sleep here for tonight." Staraptor sounded exhausted. "Okay." Staraptor dropped her head down and lied on the side of the dirt trail. I yawned loudly. "Hey Staraptor?" "Yes?" "I-I"m sorry, about... y'know... earlier. You're right. There was nothing you could've done about it." "I'm completely over that. I understand why you were mad. You're just anxious to get to Lucario. I honestly have no reason to be mad at you. I grinned. "Thanks." There was a short moment of silence, then she said, "Good night Riolu." "Night." I rested my head on my arm like a pillow, and went to sleep.

"MOM!" I screamed happily. I ran to her, but as I ran closer, I was actually getting pushed backward, further away from her. She turned around. "Damian? What happened to you?" she asked. "Y'see, there was this old lady, and she... well..." "I can't take care of a Pokemon. You'll just have to live on your own in the forest." "WHAT!?" my mom then faded into dust. "MOM!" I cried. Out of nowhere, Lucario appeared. "Hello child," he said. He had a very raspy voice. "Lucario! I can't believe it's you! I found you!" I shouted happily. Then, he shot a ball of light at me. It hit and caused me to fall down a long pit. Then eventually, I landed. Charles was in front of me, beating me up as a Riolu. Then that vanished and I was in front of the old woman again. "Your time is up," she cackled. "You're going to stay like this forever!" I could hear a thousand voices repeating that phrase. "No...No...NO...NO...STOP IT!" I screamed. I looked around. I was no longer in the scary illusion, I was back in the forest. I was breathing heavily, panting actually. I sighed with relief. "It was just a dream," I muttered. "Riolu? What's wrong?" asked Staraptor. "Oh! Sorry! Did I wake you up?" I asked. "Kind of. You screamed stop it pretty loud. What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" "Yeah, a pretty bad one too," I whined. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" "Yeah, I can try." "Okay, good night again." "Good night." Staraptor closed her eyes and lied back down, I lied down as well. I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep without a bad dream. But, nothing happened. After an hour of tossing and turning, I made it official. I couldn't sleep. _I'm gonna be bored out of my mind. Maybe I could take a walk._ I looked at Staraptor, whom was sound asleep. I sighed. _I'll be back in a jif._ I got up and drew a stick figure in the ground with an arrow pointing to the direction I was walking. I walked down the path with my eyes closed. Using the glowing vision really helped me see in the dark. After walking for about 15 minutes, I heard a faint tapping noise. I assumed it was nothing and continued walking. A couple of seconds later, it was back. I stopped and looked all around. Nothing was in sight. _This is a bad idea. I should just go back._ I turned around and began walking back to Staraptors position. I was then abruptly slammed into the ground by someone behind me. "HEY! Get... off of... me!" I yelped. "Where y'goin bud?" "Somewhere you're not!" I shoved his arm away, rolled over on my back and kicked him in the face. I then stood up ran like hell. "You little- GET HIM!" the Machamp yelled. I ran full speed down the trail. I was immediately tackled to the ground by another asssailant. I squirmed desperately to get away. "You're comin' with us kid. Sceptile, knock em out." Sceptile blew purple dust in my face, and that was it. I was knocked out.

Chapter 5: The Pit Fights

"Oww... W-Where am I?" I groaned. I opened my eyes to see the blue sky with small clouds floating across it. I sat up in panic. "Oh no." I was in a deep hole. _Crap! They kidnapped me!_ I wobbled as I stood up. I felt my chest. It had a stinging pain on it from when I got tackled. I shook my head vigorously. "This can't be happening." "Rise and shine kid! Are y'ready?" I glared angrily at Machamp. "Let me out of here!" I screamed. "Fraid I can't do that. You have to win the Pit Fights first," he said . _Pit Fights?_ "If you don't let me out of here right now... I swear to Arceus you'll wish you were never born!" "Kid, after hearin you whine, I wish I was never born." My breathing was heavy. "Whaddya want from me!?" I shouted. "Nothin really. I just needed another player for the games." _Games?_ "What games?" I snarled. "Oh, only the best Pokemon fighting game in the world!" Everyone else at the top cheered. _I can't believe it. He thinks I'm just gonna be another puppet for his collection. He's another thing comin'._ "Your first challenger will be Treecko. Drop em down Alakazam!" A green, 2 legged Pokemon was dropped into the hole. He got into a fighting stance. "Okay! The winner gets breakfast! GO!" Machamp declared. Treecko used a quick bulletseed on me. I rolled out of the way and ran around the pit. He stopped the bulletseed and used razorleaf next. The leafs were making small cuts on my body. I ran through them and tackled the Treecko. He pushed me off of him and opened his mouth. "HYPER BEAM!" he shouted. I rolled over at the knick of time to dodge the powerful attack. He looked exhausted now, so I took advantage and punched him in the jaw. I then kicked him in the gut, hooked him in the head, then finished him off with a roundhouse to the temple. He fell to the ground, and passed out. "WINNER!" Machamp yelled. Machamp threw three fruits down for me and Treecko was lifted out of the pit. I got the apple and took my first bite. It was pretty good actually. I finished eating in about 15 minutes. "Your next fight is in 30 minutes. Get ready," said Machamp. _Staraptor, wherever you are please help me._  
****************************POV******************* ************  
Staraptor flew above the path. She got Riolu's picture, but she was unable to find him. She'd been looking for almost an hour with no sight of him. _Come on Riolu, where are you?_ She searched and searched but still had no luck. _What if he was kidnapped? Or killed!?_ Staraptor shook the thought away. _No, I gotta keep looking._ She started to fly back to the direction she came. After 15 minutes passed, she saw something red on the path. Staraptor flew down to the scene. _Blood? Oh no!_ Next to the blood was a purple powder. It was official, he was gone. _I have to get help!_ Staraptor flew as fast as she could to the nearest Pokemon civilization. When she landed, she yelled, "Can someone please help me!?" A large group of Pokemon appeared. An Arcanine approached her, "What's wrong?" he asked. "I-I can't find Riolu! He was just... I don't know! Just, can you please help me? I think he's in danger!" she said in panic. "Woah, just calm down. We'll help you find him. But, why were you with Lucario's son?" "I was taking him to Lucario. He doesn't have his real parents anymore so he wanted to be with Lucario. Please! You have to help me! You have to help... him." "Okay, take us to where he was last," said Arcanine. "Thank you," she said softly. Staraptor took off into the sky and led them to the blood and powder mark. Arcanine began to sniff the spots. "Sleeping powder. This could knock anyone out," stated Arcanine. He turned to look at Staraptor. "By the looks of it, he was most likely kidnapped. See the footprints there?" "You don't think he's dead do you?" "No. Sleeping powder wouldn't kill him. The blood probably means that he was hit before getting knocked out." "How do you know for sure?" "I used to do this all the time. Besides, there's blood over there too." He was right, there were small drops of blood not far from where the other spot was. "Do you think we can find him?" Staraptor asked with high hopes. "Hmm... Maybe. The footprints lead me to the 24/7 gang's territory." _The 24/7 gang!? Oh, those evil, cruel, decieving, spiteful..._ She wanted to call them every name in the book, but that wouldn't get Riolu back. "I have an idea though. Go back to the group. Tell them to go with you to Lucario's location. Since he travels alot, you can all split up and find him much easier that way. Tell them that it's Arcanine's orders, and the codewords are Pinap, Arc, Twelve. They'll help you out for sure." Staraptor was very pleased. "Thank you so much! I owe you one!" "It's what we do friend. Alright guys, we're going in!" Starptor flew back to the civilization and told the flying types the order. They all took off and started the journey to Lucario.

"UGH!" I grunt as I get punched in the stomach by Tyrogue. He hooked me in the head with his right hand, then did an uppercut with his left hand. _I can't do this anymore! He's kicking my ass!_ I charged him and tried to punch him in the face. He caught my paw and twisted my arm. He smiled evilly, put his other arm in a bend, and lifted it up high. _He's gonna break my arm!_ I kicked him as hard as I could in the head. I then untwisted my arm and punched him in the mouth. _No, I can't lose. I have keep fighting!_ He attempted a high jump kick. I juked left and elbowed him in the back. When he landed from the kick, I did a roundhouse kick. He caught it with both his hands. I then twisted my body around and kicked him the head. I fell to the floor and quickly stood up. He was getting tired, me on the other hand, I was full of energy. I finished the job with a mind blowing uppercut. K.O. The crowd at the top both cheered and complained that they just lost a bet. "Alright kid, that's your last fight for the day. You can rest now." Tyrogue was taken out of the pit. I slumped down and inspected my wounds. I had small cuts from the razor leaf still, I was bruised in many areas of my body, and my paws hurt from punching. Machoke threw down some more fruits for me. I sighed angrily.  
_Staraptor, wherever you are... please, come find me._

Chapter 6: Not his Problem!?  
************************************POV*********** ******************************  
Staraptor had been flying with the group for tree days now. They were very close, she knew it. After another hour of flying, she found Lucario's old cave. "I'm going down! Go search some other places!" said Staraptor. She landed right in front of the cave. "Hello?" she called. There was no answer. She got closer to the cave. "Helloooooo?" She sighed heavily. "Not here." Then, there was a ruffling in a nearby bush. She turned to the noise. "Who's there?" She walked closer to the bush. "Lucario? Is that you?" she asked. A Pokemon about the size of her came out of the bushes. It was a Mightyena. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I'm looking for Lucario, have you seen him?" "Lucario? Yeah, he was just in the Lark Plains, meditating like always." "Can you take me to him!?" "Uhh, yeah. Follow me." Staraptor cried out very loud to signal the others that she'd found him. The flew down to the ground with her. They all went with Mightyena to the plains. After 20 minutes, they were there. And sure enough, Lucario was there, meditating in the middle of the field. "Lucario!" Staraptor yelled as she flew straight for him. Lucario stood up and opened his eyes to look at her. "Who are you?" he asked. "I'm Staraptor. I need your help. An old friend of mine asked me to take Riolu to you. Riolu really needs your help!" "Where is he?" "Uhh... That's why I need your help. You see, Riolu wandered off when I was sleeping, and when I woke up, he was gone. We think he was kidnapped by the 24/7 gang." "Not my problem." "W-What?" "He's not my son. He's not my problem." Staraptor was furious now. "Not your problem!? I flew four days to get here, and you mean to tell me that's it's not your problem!?" "Yes." "NO! That boy is alone out there! His dream was to be with you. He expects so much of you, and you won't even go out to help him!" "I'll say it one more time. Not my son, not my problem." Staraptor was enfuriated by his stubbornness. "You're just going to crush a boys dream like that? He doesn't even have parents anymore. His parent's are dead. The 24/7 gang are doing Arceus knows what to him, and all you do is say it's not your problem! What is wrong with you!?" Staraptor had the urge to cry. Lucario went silent. "Y'know what? Fine! Be that way! Be alone all your life! See if I give a damn!" she sobbed. As she was just about to take off, Lucario stopped her by saying, "No, I'll go with you. Take me to him. I will help save him and that's it. I won't take care of him. Understand?" Staraptor was surprised by his sudden change of heart. "Yes. Now hop on." she ordered. He did so, and they took off, back to the 24/7 gangs territory.  
************************POV*********************** *******  
Arcanine and the others found a large camp in the woods. There were multiple Pokemon surrounding what seemed to be holes. There were most likely 30 holes being watched over. They saw children being dropped into the pits, most likely to fight other children. It was horrifying and cruel what they were doing, and there was no way he could stop them either. They outnumbered him and his group in both amount and strength. They'd been going in and out of the forest to keep a close eye on the scene. The only thing was, he never saw Riolu come out of the pits. Machamp seemed to be the leader, and he would throw food down to the pit and the child that was knocked out would be levitated out of the pit. Arcanine guesed that the winner was the one who got fed and the loser got nothing. _Those sick, twisted Pokemon. I swear when I get my paws on them they'll-_ "Boss, we got company," whispered Luxray. A Raichu was looking around in their area. They instantly ducked down as low as possible. "Hey Machamp! I think I heard somethin!" said the Raichu. "You did?" "We need to go now," muttered Leafeon. "Right, fall back, quietly," ordered Arcanine. Arcanine and his team slowly made their way back to the path. Then, a stick broke under his paw. "Damn it," he swore under his breath. "Who's out there!?" yelled Machamp. "Run," ordered Arcanine quietly. Him and his team dashed back to the path. "Hey! Get them!" shouted Machamp. Arcanine looked back to find himself being chased by an Infernape, a Houndoom, and a Sceptile. It only made him run faster. After a pursuit lasting 15 minutes, they got away. They rendezvoused at their home. "So much for that," groaned Gallade. Arcanine had a smile on his face. "Why're you- Ohhhhh!" Arcanine came with a plan.

Chapter 7: Escape

I was miserable. No, not even miserable. There is no word to describe how badly I was feeling. I was starving, exhausted, sleepy...Desperate. I lost all of my fights yesterday so I never got food, I was exhausted from fighting nonstop, and sleepy due to the large amount of pain I'm suffering right now. I was cut, bruised, burned, electrocuted, everything. It was just one of those times I wished I was dead. I had absolutely no fight left in me. If I fought one more time, I would probably die in an instant. _I guess this is the end. I'm gonna a die as a Riolu, not a human._ I chuckled painfully to myself. _That woman's not getting her stones anytime soon._ "Riolu!" someone unfamiliar yelled from the top. I looked up at the speaker. The Pokemon was dropping down to the hole. "C'mon, we're getting you out of here!" whispered the Medicham. "W-what?" I asked, half dilusional. "You heard me! You're outta here!" He grabbed me by the waist and jumped out of the hole. I couldn't believe it, just as all hope had been lost, it was found for me. "What about...the others?" I whimpered. "They've got it covered," he replied. He ran with me in his arms through the 24/7 gang's territory. Suddenly, we were hit by a large ball of light. It caused him to drop me. I felt my head with my paw. "Going somewhere?" asked Machamp. Behind him were about 30 other large Pokemon. Medicham stood up and began charging his own ball of light in his hands. "Riolu, go around with the other kids. We'll take care of them," ordered Medicham. "What about you?" I whined. "I'll be fine! Just go!" I nodded. I then started to slowly limp away. All of the other kids were running around the large Pokemon, as told. I followed them. The problem being, I couldn't keep up with most of them. Only 4 others were limping just like me, but other than that (most likely) the other 20 kids were in good shape. I noticed 3 Pokemon coming after us. "We got company!" I yelled. Everyone just ran faster. I was suddenly grabbed by vines from the trees. "HELP!" I shouted. Then, I was dropped to the ground. Who saved me you ask? It was very surprising to actually see him. It was Lucario, and beside him was Staraptor. Lucario picked me up and put me on his shoulders. "Hold on tight!" he ordered. He started to run full speed ahead around the group, shooting large balls of light at any pursuers. After running for about 15 minutes, we won the pursuit. "We lost them!" I yelled happily. "Good, my work here is done then," said Lucario as he put me down. He began to walk away. "Hey! Where y'goin!?" I asked. "Home," he replied. "Aren't you taking me with you?" I asked. "No, I'm not." I stopped in my tracks. "W-why not?" I asked. "I told your friend Staraptor that I would save you and that would be the end of it. I'm not taking care of you." "WHY NOT!?" I screamed. "Because you are not my son, I shouldn't have to take care of you. I'm sure you'll be just fine staying with Staraptor." "But Staraptor can't train me like you can! I need someone to take care of me, my parent's are dead, and right now, you're the only one who I can look up to as a father figure." "I don't have to take you in if I don't want to. I was nice enough to go out of my way to save you, you should at least appreciate that." I sighed angrily. "I do appreciate it, and... thank you, but... please... I need training. I need someone like me to grow up with. That Pokemon I need... is you Lucario." He stopped walking and turned around. "No one, has ever needed me nor wanted me. If you were to stay with me, you would only be sadly dissapointed." "No, I wouldn't! I would be the happiest kid alive if I lived with you. I don't care what it would take to make you happy, I'll do it." Lucario got down on one knee and looked at me in the eyes. He paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, you can come stay with me." I smiled widely. "Thank you." Staraptor just looked at us. "Thank you so much Staraptor. And everyone else for that matter!" I said happily. "I'll miss you Riolu." "I'll miss you too Staraptor." "Okay, Riolu, hop on my back. We've got a long way home." "Actually, you might not. We could fly you to your home. I mean, it's the least we could do for you helping us get these kids back," offered Fearow. "No, it's fine. Go home and rest. We need the exercise," replied Lucario. "Okay then." "Bye!" Everyone started to say. This was my next step to ridding myself of the curse.

Chapter 8: Enough Lies  
Lucario and I were at his cave. He dropped me off inside the cave and started some R&R. "Hold still, this might sting a little," said Lucario. He put a gooey substance all over my body. "OWW! A little?!" I yelped. "Do you want it to heal or not?" he barked. I sighed. "Sorry." He put a large glob of it in my right paw. "Put it all around your body. You should heal by tommorow if it works." I started to rub it in around my body. It was really sticky and freezing cold! When I was done I lied down on the bed. "You're going to stay like that all day. In about 4 hours, you need to wash it off and apply some more. Understand?" "Y-y-yeah," I shivered. "Cold?" he asked. "Very." "It'll be cold for a while but you'll get used to it eventually." He was leaving the cave. "Hey, w-w-where y-ya going?" I shuddered. "Out. I'd take you with me but you need to heal. I'll be back in about an hour or so." "You're just gonna leave me here?" "You'll be fine. I'm not going far. I can sense your aura from a mile away. If you get into trouble I will know, now just lay there." "Well, alright. See ya later." "Oh and Riolu, try not to move alot. It'll only make it take longer to heal. Stay still." "K, see ya." "Bye." And with that Lucario was gone. I just lied still with my arms to my side and my head elevated on the pillow. I sighed heavily after he left. I was totally unaware that I was humming 'Levels' by Avicii. After the song was over, I stopped. _Oh my Arceus, this is so boring!_ No radio, no tv, no nothing. Just lie down and stare at the ceiling. Yep, it was a boatload of fun. I just decided to use the time to think. _It sucks that I can't tell anyone about the curse, and really unfair because everyone who trusted me is being lied to just so I can get on with my life!_ Then, another thought sprung my mind. _I'm taking advantage of everyone caring for me, just so I can get what I want._ That was it. I was being selfish. Using others, even if they are just Pokemon, just so I can get my old life back. I began to question myself. _Would it all be better if I just told the truth?_ I thought of the upsides. Everyone would trust me, I'd make friends, I'd be happy with myself. Then the downside, I couldn't become human again. I began to wonder how everyone in my old life was right now. Do they know I'm alive? Do they miss me? Who wouldn't miss me? After all, I'm awesome... right? _Not awesome if you're just going to lie to everyone._ I wanted to cry now. Over so many things too. I missed my life, I wish I didn't lie to everyone, I hate myself and love myself at the time. _I have no choice._ "I don't care anymore old woman! I am tired, of lying to these Pokemon who are loving and caring for me!" _Hmm... Having the guilt trip are you? Okay, just know that if you do tell. You will never become a human again._ "Worth it." _Suit yourself._ I waited for Lucario's arrival. "Hey, Lucario?" "Yes Riolu?" he asked. "You don't have to call me Riolu anymore." "Why not?" "Because my name is not Riolu. It's Damian." "Okay, so you've got a nickname. That's nice." "NO! It's not a nickname. I'm... I...I haven't really, been honest with you." "Go on." "I'm really... a..." _Come on stupid! ONE MORE WORD!_ I sighed. "I'm really... a human." "Excuse me?" I explained everything to him. "Riol- I mean Damian... I don't understand." "I couldn't take the guilt anymore. I couldn't keep lying to everyone. Now I'm gonna be stuck this way forever." "Stuck this way? What's wrong with being a Riolu?" "Nothing, it's just... I won't be able to become human again." "Let me tell you something. Just because you're a Pokemon now doesn't mean your life is over. You can have a fresh start. Maybe there were mistakes you made before you wish you could've fixed but you couldn't. Those mistakes are behind you now. And y'know what. I'm really glad you were honest with me. It took a lot of bravery to do that. And a lot of honor as well." I smiled lightly. "Thanks." "Don't mention it. Now, I'm going to stay here with you for the rest of the day. Keep you company. Does that sound good to you?" "You bet it does!" "Okay then." That had to be the best moment of my entire life, but was it also the worst?

Chapter 9: The Truth is Revealed

"YOU FOOL! You would dare defy me!?" the woman yelled. "I never defied you. You gave me a choice." "Well, you just screwed your life!" "No, I didn't. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dream to get back to." "Hmm... Very well. I guess my plan didn't work after all. Alright boy, you win. I won't bother you anymore." "Good." She vanished from my imagination and I went back to my dreamland. It was a pretty good dream too. I saw... my mom. And... all my friends and family... together, happy, with me. My old life as a human. What great times those were. The woman was obviously doing this to me, but I didn't care. It was a good dream otherwise. Then, like the other dream, it turned into a nightmare. Everyone around me was falling to the floor, dead. "NO!" I screamed.


End file.
